The Environmental Impact of Oil Sands Production in Canada -- Traditional Rice Farming Practices Under Threat in Asia -- Balancing Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development all in this edition of Living Planet.Tune in via the live-stream or download the program as a podcast. Send your comments and questions to features@dw-world.de.The Impact of Oil Sands Extraction in Alberta, CanadaOil sands or tar sands is a term to describe naturally occurring deposits of sand or clay, water and a thick, heavy substance called bitumen. It is processed to produce synthetic crude oil.Alberta contains the second largest proven concentration of oil in the world and the vast majority of that is found in oil sands deposits. There are 87 active oil sands projects in Alberta. In 2006, Alberta exported about 1.35 million barrels per day of crude oil to the United States. The World Wide Fund for Nature wants to stop the expansion of oil sands because they are the fastest contributor to Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. (Report: Pamela Schobess) Asia's Rice Paddies Threatened by Industrial DevelopmentFrom Bali to Vietnam, traditional rice paddies are being replaced by golf courses, hotels and industrial parks.As Asian economies surge, younger people in particular are choosing less labour-intensive work than rice farming. These factors have been cutting into the rice production. Global stocks of rice are their lowest in two decades and as result rice prices have almost tripled. Alarmed by its inability to feed a fast growing population, the Philippine government ordered a halt to the conversion of farmland for other uses. Indonesia used to be a rice exporter now it's importing rice. (Report: Rebecca Henschke)Finding a Solution to Deforestation in Developing CountriesOne activity that generates more greenhouse gasses than planes, trains, and automobiles is deforestation. Forests are disappearing at a rate of around 13 million hectares per year.Clearing rainforests to make way for agriculture is responsible for about 20% of all greenhouse gasses. Countries are trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Now, a number of key countries to take early action to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation . Negotiators at the recent Climate Change Talks in Poznan, Poland are trying to hammer out a solution – and as Living Planet reports, that’s easier said than done. (Report: Steve Zwick) read less